Bar Exam Sanity/Support

[keska]

I know the WC bar exam study thread hasn't been that active this summer, but I'm getting to the point where I need an outlet to keep myself from going crazy. So, even if no one else wants to complain, whine, obsess or decompress, I'll keep it going for my DH's own sanity if not my own (there's only so much bar exam chatter he can listen to in one day). :p

Today, I took the simulated MBE and I got only 59 out of 100 question right on the first half but 75 out of 100 right on the second. Yeah, I don't understand that at all. I even thought the first 3 hours were easier. Go figure. And, although I can recite the character evidence rules by heart, I somehow managed to get every single character evidence question wrong. Hmm...guess I need to crack those PBMR books I've been ignoring.

[lawyergirl25]

Hi keska - this is Almost_Mrs_Campbell from over at WC. Just wanted to let you know that I feel your pain. I've been turning in those practice essays for Bar/Bri and they've been lackluster to say the least. I'm getting a little worried - I know the rules, but I can't seem to communicate them as well as I thought I could.

My PMBR 3-day workshop isn't until July 15 and I think the simulated MBE for Bar/Bri is the week before. I confess that I haven't been doing my 50 questions per night like I promised myself I would. If I don't step it up, I don't think I'll do very well.

What is wrong with me? I can't seem to get serious about studying.

[babylove]

Hi ladies....I just wanted to come over here and be your cheerleader, having suffered through (and SURVIVED) the bar exam myself. It sucked, but I lived to tell about it. I did BarBri and the best advice I can give you is to stick to the pace program that they give you at the beginning of the summer. I can honestly say that I didn't study *that* hard until after the 4th of July. In fact, I went away to the beach that weekend and didn't even study at all the entire time. I also did PMBR (b/c I am a terrible with multiple choice) and it was a LIFE SAVER. I did the 3-day course after BarBri ended. Don't sweat your practice scores just yet, it's still early in the summer. I never did better than 50% correct on the practice exams and I passed with a high enough score to waive into the D.C. bar.

STAY POSITIVE!!! YOU WILL PASS!! YOU WILL SURVIVE THE SUMMER!!!

:D

[granada]

I thought I'd come in here and offer some support, too. I took the July Bar last year, and I remember how completely miserable I was. I had a hard time keeping up with Bar-Bri's schedule. On the first day of the Bar, I was still cramming and reading my outlines right before the exam. I was so freaked out and nauseous, because I was sure I had not studied enough. Once the exam started going, though, I felt so much better. Somehow, I managed to make it through, and I passed.

All that to say, I think even if you don't feel like you're studying enough and you don't feel like anything is sticking, the work you're doing now WILL pay off. Don't beat yourself up if you fall behind. Just keep working. If the Bar-Bri schedule doesn't work for you, modify it. I suggest at least something that allows you to concentrate intensely on one subject at a time. Allow yourself some down time, too. That will definitely help to make things stick.

I just realized I'm offering advice that was really unsolicited, so I'll shut up now. :rolleyes:

Good luck to everyone!

[babylove]

Oops I guess my advice was unsolicited too....sorry 'bout that....:o

And just for the record, I did, as umwhee said, modify the pace program a bit as it got closer to the bar exam. I would just cut out reading the outlines, and focus on practicing the essays and multiple choice assignments.

OK....really, finished with the unsolicited advice...but I'm sure that umwhee would agree that we are both here if you have questions!!

[keska]

Thanks for the advice everyone! It's always good to hear encouragement. For some reason, I keep running into people who tell me that they didn't pass the CA bar on the first try. I suppose they think that's reassuring but it's really not helping me at this point.

Well, off to practice a performance exam. My main worry is not finishing the exam in the time allotted. I have got to stop being a perfectionist and just get faster at writing.

[Esq.]

I took the Bar last July. It is so hard to believe that it is already almost a year since then!

Do you have the study smart software from Barbri? I really liked that, and it made it easier to do my 50 a day (since I was sitting here surfing the WC anyway...). Also, I made my own outlines from the Barbri class outlines (not the big ones...they were useless to me...no one can retain all of that, and you don't need to for the Bar) for any topic that I had a hard time with. But I like making outlines...it feels like mindless busy work to me. I think I did about five of my own, and then just used the ones that you fill out in class for the rest of the topics.

As far as PMBR, it is GREAT. I took the 6 and the 3. I studied for essays all of twice, the rest of the time I studied for MBE's. Looking back now, I realize that was really stupid. But I didn't loke doing essays, and couldn't quite make myself. Mindlessly doing MBE's or making outlines was easier than actual thinking. :o And I have to agree with babylove, I didn't study very hard at all. I did a lot of mindless stuff, and it just sunk in somehow.

But I do have to say, if you are going to drill MBE's, I think the PMBR are much harder. I honestly think the only reason I passed was bc the week before the Bar, I started using the PMBR questions instead of Barbri. Thank God I multistated, bc if they had read my essays (which, as I said before, I did not study for) they would have failed me on the majority!

I had my fair share of freak outs, and I was sure that I was going to fail. One thing you have to realize is that, even if you study every moment, you will still feel like you are going to fail. So, don't over work yourself. Find a good pace, and stick with it. That is the best thing that you can do for yourself. However you studied in law school will work for you on the Bar. It is what got you through law school. If it works, stick with it!

ok...that is all of my unsolicited advice...as incoherent as it might be :)

[lawyergirl25]

Thanks for the advice, umwhee and babylove. I don't mind unsolicited advice at all, especially when it's not "Don't worry, you can retake it in February" (similar to what keska's been hearing). Why on earth would anyone think that is reassuring?!

I'm going to study secured transactions all day today, I think. I didn't take it in law school and I've been using the Examples and Explanations book to learn it. Then I can outline this afternoon and do some essay questions tonight.

Part of the problem is that DH keeps trying to get me to hang out with him. Just this morning he was complaining that we haven't done anything all weekend. HELLO - I had a full day BarBri session yesterday (8 hours of real property - yuck!) and tomorrow we're going to Cedar Point for the day. I'm honestly trying to balance everything as best I can. I know he's not trying to be unsupportive...but I'm frustrated.


ETA: thanks Kyrsten for your advice too. :)

[Esq.]

subscribing

[Aimee]

Hi, y'all. I'm Aimee52904 on WC, but I was able to get *just* my name over here - cool!

Anyway, I'm studying for the Louisiana Bar this summer, should be studying right now. We dont' use the MBE - our exam is 3 nonconsecutive days of testing. Sucks.

I'm finding hte Bar/Bri schedule too much to keep up with. I've been making my outlines along in class and compacting what they give us (we've only gotten one fill-in-the-blank outline, and that was on the first day for general info stuff) in the big books. But I haven't looked at many practice tests and that really friggin' scares me. I've been playing catch up from the first week - my graduation was the Thursday of that week (my school, LSU in Baton Rouge didn't sync up their schedule with Loyola and Tulane's graduations because they stupidly thought that nobody from LSU would take Bar Bri in New Orleans...duh) - I got kind of behind back then, and I'm still trying to catch up.

And, some nights, I only study about 2-4 hours. And that really friggin' scares me.

Good luck to the rest of y'all. CA's bar is much harder than LA's so I hear. I think our overall pass rate is somewhere around 70% - so the odds are on my side, right?

...off to study Con Law. Why is it that Con Law took 2 semesters in law school but I was able to get it into a 20p outline?

[Sherb]

Hi! Jumping in here. I took the Alabama Bar last July and my husband is taking it this July. I'll see if I can find any wisdom to impart...
For those taking BarBri, download the practice questions and take them obsessively. And don't believe BarBri when they tell you that their questions are the hardest. They're not. I had a freak out moment at the start of the MBE because the questions were harder than BarBri's.

Take your short outlines (convisors) and any notes with you to the city where you will take the Bar exam. Then LEAVE THEM in the car. Only take them for that freak out moment you will have the night before the start of the exam when you think you can't remember a thing about Commercial Paper. Scan the section you think you forgot and move on. Don't study or cram. Your brain will be too tired anyway.

If I think of anything more, I'll post again.

[RobynScott]

ITA with Sherb that BarBri questions are not the hardest - the PMBR questions definitely come a lot closer to the bar exam - I did tons of PMBR questions (don't worry - only in the last week or two before the exam :) ) - and they had me so prepared for the MBE - seriously, I knew what to expect from the MBE b/c of PMBR.

Also, don't worry too much yet - I studied hard core for the final two weeks before the bar exam (I thought I would buckle down sooner - you know - 3 weeks before the exam :)) - but DH's (then DBF) father was sick and that was occupying a lot of my time. Finally, two weeks before the exam it was time to buckle down.

Just remember - you only need to pass - not Ace it - we're used to studying for exams and having to do well - so it's hard to gauge how well we can do even if we are not getting everything right.

HTH a little - I took PA and NJ in July 2001 - studied hard core for two weeks and passed with no problems. One other thought - one thing that really helped me was outlining essay answers (for every essay question I could get a hold of) - and then going over the real answers to see what I got right/wrong and writing out the things I was missing (I learn by writing) -
I think I did 12 full exams (well over 100 essay questions) in the last week before the exam (like I said, I really buckled down :) - like 2 exams a day - and it really helped.

Sorry this is so long - good luck with studying! - and try not to worry too much (easier said than done, I know)

Robyn

[keska]

Sigh. I'm am feeling really tired today. We had civ pro in one day and corporations the next day. Two extremely boring days with lots of details to memorize. I had that moment where I felt completely overwhelmed by the amount of information.

Today, we've got a 3 hour in-class performance exam practice. I suppose these aren't terrible except for getting them done in time. This week really stinks.

[lawyergirl25]

Yeah, it's getting down to crunch time. Are you planning to take some time off this weekend? I'll probably just take some time off Sunday or Monday (I've got a lot of catching up to do), but I definitely need a nice break at some point.

One of my friends is going to Vegas for the entire weekend. I wish I could be as confident as she is. I would be panicking right now if I were her.

So...here's the game plan. Outline crim law this afternoon, then class tonight. When I get home, I should do either 50 or 100 PMBR questions. Then lecture tomorrow morning, outline crim pro in the afternoon and more practice problems in the evening. Maybe posting it here will keep me on track. :)

[keska]

Nah, I'm not going anywhere this weekend. I have simulated practice testing for the second Saturday in a row - 9-4:00. Last week it was MBE. This week it's 3 hours of state essays and then a 3 hour performance exam.

[Aimee]

Wow, y'all get in-class practice exams? I mailed mine off and *just* got one back today. Which is oh-so-helpful considering my last mail-in is due tomorrow. That means the ones I did in the interim probably sucked the big one because I did them just the same as I did this other one.

*sigh*

Back to the outlining

[lawyergirl25]

I just had to come here and post, I'm so excited...

I just found out that I'm valedictorian of my class! :D I was second for four semesters, but the rankings just came out today and I moved up.

Now I really have to pass - wouldn't I look dumb if I failed now? lol

[granada]

CONGRATULATIONS!! That's quite an achievement!

http://forum.hasweb.com/images/smiles/forum_bounce.gif

ETA: Now get back to studying! :D

[RobynScott]

Holy cow lawyergirl - CONGRATULATIONS - wow!

[lawyergirl25]

Thanks ladies. :)

[Aimee]

Wow! Congrats!

[keska]

Awesome!! Great work! You'll do fine on the exam - just have to pass, after all.

[Aimee]

So, the Bar/Bri lecturer on Federal Procedure and jurisdiction today...she used stuffed animals to try and explain SMJ. After two hours of her going 4 pages, I left.

I am *not* patient enough for this right now. 3 weeks ago, I might have thought it cute. Today, not at all. And we've got her for 2 more days :mad:

[keska]

Wow. You're kidding. Our guy breezed through Civ Pro in one day (Corporations too). It's all I could do to keep up with filling in the blanks.

Can I just complain about our Community Property lecturer? He gave this horrible outline which basically is all hypos with the rules really mixed in there in the answers. It's crap. I have to redo the whole thing. The Conviser mini is more clearly laid out. The hypos were helpful, though, I give him that.

[Aimee]

I really wish I were kidding. She had the shark from Florida and the Rabbit from Rhode Island.

For some reason, we dont' get fill-in-the-blanks outlines. I got that for the MPRE review, but for this, we've got 2 books, one of Louisiana "code" subjects and one of non-code subjects. I usually go through the outlines and type them into a more condensed better for my brain format. We got the "mini" outline for the MPRE but not for the bar exam. I've been typing so much lately, that I'm wearing a wrist brace. I haven't had time to get to a lot of the practice questions because I'm just trying to synthesize all the material.

We had a horrible teacher for Property, too. Overall, I've been extremely disappointed with the quality of the teachers we've had.

[lawyergirl25]

Oh my. We took 3 days to do Civ Pro. Seriously. But at least we didn't have to deal with stuffed animals.

I hated our criminal law/procedure lecturer. I honestly got just as much out of reading the outlines. Sometimes I feel like going to lecture is a huge waste of time.

[lawyergirl25]

I hate Torts.

That is all.

[smiles33]

Hi everyone! Just came by to give you some encouragement and share my funny (in hindsight) story. I took the CA bar 4 years ago (and passed!) even though it was the same summer that I became addicted to that other site. Yes, ladies, I actually started my wedding planning journal the week before BarBri classes began, spent an inordinate amount of time there (it was so difficult trying to focus on civil procedure when there were so many photos of gorgeous dresses to look at!), and still passed the Bar. Plus, I was nowhere near the top of my class so it's not like I'm some brilliant person. If anything, my story shows that studying hard and efficiently (versus just sinking in endless hours) can work. You, too, can do it. Please take breaks when you need it (come by here for support and also find something fun and distracting!). GOOD LUCK and keep your spirits up!


ETA: I forgot to say CONGRATULATIONS to lawyergirl25! That's a fantastic accomplishment.

[lawyergirl25]

No, guys, I'm really starting to freak out. This is the worst time to do it too.

I feel like I'm buried.

[lawyergirl25]

Last night I learned that late nights are not good for frayed nerves. I'm really okay now. :) (In case you cared. lol)

I took a practice MBE today and did well, so that has contributed to my peace of mind. I just need to buckle down and STUDY!

[Sherb]

lawyergirl: It's okay to freak out. Do it now and get it over with. I was pretty freaked out at the two week before the bar mark. Then I got over it, calmed myself down and went back to studying. Did fine on the bar. A friend of mine freaked out the morning of the bar and had to talk himself down while taking the bar. Not recommended but he still passed. He would be the first to tell you to go ahead and get the freak out over sooner than later.

[Aimee]

I believe I have officially lost it. I am explaining various crime sprees in McDonaldland to my DH, as a way of illustrating the different elements of crimes. It's a good thing he's already married me - else he might just run!

In all seriousness, I'm finding it helps to remember the elements of these things that are just rote memorization to make up stories to go with them that are just so silly and off the cuff that it's a.) not too much effort to make up the mnemonic and b.) rememberable. I know I won't forget the image of the Hamburglar roughing up Mayor McCheese and committing second degree robbery in his quest to steal the key to the city.

Good luck to the rest of y'all. When are your exams? Mine is July 25, 27, 29

[granada]

smiles33 ~ I was also studying for the Bar AND planning a wedding at the same time. In fact, my wedding was the week after the Bar. (Scheduled this way because I had to start my job in September.) Surfing the WC was my reward for studying. After a certain amount of studying, I'd allow myself to go look at pictures of flowers and cakes and people's journals for a set period of time. Then, I'd go back to studying. Ah, memories...

So, ladies, if I passed, YOU CAN, TOO.

[lawyergirl25]

LOL - Hamburglar. I may have to steal that - crim law is my weakest subject (but I'm actually pretty decent on crim pro - go figure).

Evidence this morning and early afternoon, then Contracts tonight and part of tomorrow. Those were my weakest subjects on the practice MBE yesterday, so I'm going to hit them hard today and tomorrow.

[keska]

For me, it's frustrating because I'm taking the CA classes in DC, which means we started a week later than they did in CA. My Barbri classes don't end until next Tuesday and I still have 4 new subjects to learn in the next week. That gives me only a 1.5 weeks to study on my own and fly out to CA. I could have used the extra week that the people in CA get.

Aimee - The CA bar is July 26, 27, 28.

[lawyergirl25]

Does anybody else venture into the family planning area, see BFP and think "bona fide purchaser"? ;)

Studying is actually going well. I'm in shock, quite frankly.

[keska]

LOL! That's too funny.

I'm mostly worried about essays at this point. I still have 2 subjects to learn. Tomorrow is my last Barbri class...well, the last topic lecture. I'm not going to the last performance exam class.

[keska]

I hope you ladies are doing fine out there. I'm having a little break down moment this morning. I started getting sick yesterday and I am feeling like crud. I'm nervous and, just when I thought I had a handle on remedies, I flipped to this bizarre remedies question from 2003 which was mostly about purchase money resulting trusts. OK, my lecturer gave us precisely 2 sentences about those. Sigh.

I'm going for a pedicure later to cheer me up. Thanks for letting me vent. Off to study PR. CA has some interesting deviations on the Model Rules. You're allowed to do a lot more as long as you get written consent.

[lawyergirl25]

keska, you totally deserve a pedicure and some time to decompress! My impression from your posts is that you've been really diligent about studying - much more so than me at least. Enjoy a little time to yourself and I'm sure you'll feel better about it later today or tomorrow morning.

If it makes you feel better, I have no clue what a purchase money resulting trust is. :eek:

[Aimee]

Just checking in to see how everyone is doing...it'll all be over with soon...after barely leaving the house for a few days, yesterday DH took me out to eat and study at a coffee shop - it was fantastic - and tonight we're going to see Willy Wonka. Silly stuff that won't hurt my brain too much.

Hang in there girls, we've almost made it!

[keska]

I'm exhausted. Honestly, I never feel like I'm studying enough, but I can't study 12 hours straight. I'll be happy to get the exam over with just so that I don't have to study anymore.

[lawyergirl25]

I'm hanging in. I made myself relax and have a light day today because I've been going 12 or 13 hours a day for the last week. I figured that I was due. :)

But I don't think I'll have that luxury again. We did the PMBR 3-day workshop this weekend and I didn't do as well as I had hoped, PLUS I looked over some essay last week and I have a lot of memorization to do yet. I'm fantastic at issue spotting, but not so good on the black letter law. And gee, that's kinda important. ;)

[Jaycee]

I just wanted to pop in and wish you all GOOD LUCK!! DH was in your shoes last year at this time so, I may not know exactly what you are going through right now, I certainly can empathize!!

[tgray99]

Hi ladies, hope things go well for y'all on the BAR this month. DH graduated from law school in May 2003 and has taken the BAR 3 times. Yeah, so the TX BAR is apparently a real bitch to take. :rolleyes: Anyway, just wanted to drop y'all a line and wish you luck! I can understand they stress you're all under. Good luck!

[smiles33]

Just wanted to pop back in and offer good wishes! One piece of non-exam related advice--pick someplace with decent food for your dinner for the 3 (or less) dinners you'll be having after the 3 long days of exams. You do NOT want a quick fast-food dinner and then end up going back to your hotel room to freak out. DH (then FH) drove down from SF all 3 nights to drive me to dinner, distract me for a couple hours with non-law conversation, and then drop me back at my hotel to take a hot bath and crash. A glass of wine or 1 cocktail with dinner can also help you relax, just don't drink enough to get drunk/anxious/depressed.

GOOD LUCK!

[fsb2005]

Wow I'm glad I found this thread.

Ok, I might be a freak, but is anyone else having trouble motivating? I thought by this point I would be freaking out and motivated by fear, but I'm just not...

I think it's kind of bad that I've been doing well on the practice tests, because it's not giving me any motivation and what if it's all a fluke?

I have been keeping up pretty well with the paced program and I'm generally a good memorizer, but am I going to fail if I don't pick it up????

The worst part about all of this is worrying that I'm not studying the right way.... Bleh...

[lawyergirl25]

I feel ya. I don't know the best way to go about things right now either. I'm memorizing my outlines and going through essays all day every day, then doing MBE problems in the evenings, but that's about it. Tomorrow I'm going to work on MPTs for most of the day to get used to them. Friday and Saturday I'm going to finish working through my outlines and essays. Sunday we're traveling down to Columbus to check into our hotel, shop for groceries, and scope out the test site. Monday we're going to run through flash cards and outlines one last time.

I'm only sort of nervous. Isn't that weird? On the one hand, I'm doing well on the practice exams and essays, and I know I've studied hard and that there's no possible way to have every single rule memorized. On the other hand, I was such a slacker during the month of June that I feel like there's more I could have done. I'm also very aware of the clock all the time - every minute I spend on corporations, I feel like I should be allocating that time to secured transactions. I just have to remind myself that that's my panic attack, not logic, talking. :)

I just keep telling myself that 90% of my school's graduates pass on the first try and I surely have to be in that 90%!

[keska]

Everyone feels the same way about the studying. There's only so much you can do and you can't possibly study every single moment. Your brain can't handle it. Your routine sounds the same as mine. I tend to focus more on practicing essays than the multiple choice, so there are a few days I didn't do all the practice MBE questions.

I feel too burned out to care too much. I work but I'm not going to freak.

[fsb2005]

I guess I feel ok about it all. I just thought that everyone was supposed to freak out towards the end, and I'm not, therefore I instead freak out about not freaking out. Neurotic what? :D

Good luck to everyone studying!

[keska]

I'm headed to CA in the morning. Good luck to you all!

[granada]

Good luck, everyone! You're in the home stretch now. Just a few more days, and you will be done. :)

[lawyergirl25]

Good luck keska - and safe travels!

Well I have finally mastered secured transactions. It was my worst subject before today, but after hours of intense study, I get it. Of course, it probably won't even be tested this year just to spite me and I'll have wasted all that time when I should have been looking over something else. :rolleyes:

Tomorrow I have to work on corporations and agency/partnership a bit more. I'm going to try and knock that out in the morning, then work on civ pro and commercial paper for the rest of the day. Good times!

[lawyergirl25]

I'm leaving in the morning for Columbus. Wish me luck!

[Aimee]

Good luck y'all! My exam is M, W and F of this week - way to spread it out, Louisiana.

I should be paniced, but I'm not. This is just another test. I've taken many, many tests in my life, and this is just another one. No sense in freaking out...right?

[granada]

That's the attitude, Aimee! ;)

[lawyergirl25]

Absolutely Aimee. And I know this isn't the right way to think, but I told myself earlier today that it was just a test - one I can take again if I absolutely have to. I know that doesn't sound very positive, but I've seen too many of my classmates freak themselves out over this exam being the "end all-be all" and I just want to keep things in perspective. It would be embarrassing to fail, yes, and I definitely don't want to go through this ever again, but I think I would be way too wound up if I didn't remind myself that life will go on even if I don't pass.

[Aimee]

Maybe it's just the Diet Mt. Dew and sugar free Red Bull talking...and I know this sounds horrible, but I don't have a 100K a year job riding on passing this thing. Nor do I have 100K+ of school loans to pay off. I went to a state school on a full scholarship - so if, God forbid, I don't pass, it's not the end. It would be embarassing and disappointing no doubt, but it wouldn't mean financial ruin for us. I have some loans that will come due, but nothing back breaking, and I don't have a "real" job yet - so it's not the end of the world.

You know you're Type "A" when you're worried about not being worried enough. Usually I'm so uptight - I freak about the tiniest things. So it's pretty odd that I'm being this calm about it all. I've gone "Office Space" on everyone - and it's freaking me out! Or maybe it's just perspective.

When I say my prayers tonight, asking for help in passing this thing, I'll throw in an extra request for all the CC bar exam girls (and guys, if there are any).

We're all going to pass - we're smart!

[keska]

Aimee

I feel the same way. In fact, I've been studying fewer hours the last couple of days, I think. I still have to finish my MA in the fall, so my view is if I fail the first time, I'll just take it again in February after I finish school completely. It would be great to pass, but at this time, I just want to get the darn thing over with because I am tired of studying.

[lawgirl4]

good luck, everyone!!! I am one of the few 2005 grads who won't be taking the bar - I'm not going to be practicing - but as all of my friends are, I have empathy!!

you're almost there :)

[lawyergirl25]

See, I actually do have a 100K job riding on this. I'm still not freaking out. Does that mean I'm handling the stress well or just in denial?

[keska]

I think it means for all of us that we're really just burnt out on the studying thing. You can only study so many weeks before the fear just kind of fades into a "let's get this darn thing over with" attitude.

You'll do fine. You won't lose your job. Does your firm require a pass on the first try? Some do not.

[lawyergirl25]

Mine doesn't. That's part of the reason I'm not freaking - although the threat of humiliation keeps me on task.

[keska]

Yeah, the humiliation factor is the worst part. I did have a cry to my mom once a few weeks ago at the thought of it. It didn't help that 1/2 the students from my school who took the CA bar last year didn't pass. Of course, only about 20 or 30 took it. However, one of our lecturers did remind us that most of the people who fail the CA bar only fail by a few points.

A friend of mine knew someone who failed by 1 point (wasn't CA). Of course, that's terribly hard in its own way, but it also means that most people do know enough to pass and unfortunately had a bad day with an extra answer or two.

Truthfully, I've run into so many people who didn't pass CA on the first try that it's starting to not feel like the absolute end of the world if it happens. On the bright side, there will be tons more time to study if you have to take it again, as you won't have to repeat the lectures. :p

[babylove]

I know that the bar exam is this week and I just wanted to wish you all the best of luck!! I *know* that you all have studied like mad for the past few months and I am here to tell that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! Think good thoughts and it will be over before you know it! :D

[Aimee]

Okay, y'all, now I need to start taking my own advice! I'm starting to panic here and forget everything I've studied for the last 2 months. I'm annoyed that I won't have time to go over a few tests tonight, because I'm making myself get to bed at 10pm.

I have to be at the test site for 7:30, test begins at 8. I live about 45 minutes away, and am unsure of morning traffic, so I'm leaving about 6-6:15 just to be safe. I'm taking my test in the Louisiana Superdome of all places. Let's hope it's a bit luckier for me than it is for the Saints!

Good luck to everyone else!

[lawyergirl25]

I'M DONE!!! We had three hours of essays this morning and I spent over an hour stuck in a traffic jam about 20 miles from home (after I had already spent 2-1/2 hours trying to get home), but I am home now and I'm so glad that's over!

I actually think the test was pretty fair and I'm almost sure I passed, even though I about gave myself a heart attack on Monday night trying to cram. I finally came to my senses, had a glass of wine and went to bed at a decent hour. :)

The first day, Tuesday, we had six essays over three hours - they tested Civ Pro, Torts, Real Property, Contracts, Secured Transactions, and Agency. Boy, am I glad I made myself spend all that time on secured last weekend! The only one I didn't feel at least halfway decent about was Civ Pro - because they tested exclusively on joinder of necessary and indispensable parties. Apparently that is very important to practice. :rolleyes:

Tuesday afternoon we had two MPTs. The first one was so hard! I think I was just overwhelmed with the amount of information and I didn't ever get completely organized. I took too long writing a statement of facts when I should have been focusing more on my argument. I didn't have time to finish it - I was actually in the middle of writing my last paragraph when time was called. But I recovered and I think I nailed the second one, so hopefully it will even out.

The MBE yesterday was tough. I had about 40 that I was just completely unsure about. I actually thought it was a little easier than the PMBR test we took during the 3-day workshop...but maybe I had just studied a lot since then so it seemed easier.

Today we had our final six essays - Wills and Intestate Succession, Ethics, Con Law, Evidence, Crim Pro, and SURPRISE - Commercial Paper. When they tested secured on Tuesday we thought *for sure* they would test Corporations or double-test Crim Law and Crim Pro today. Nope - but thank goodness I made myself glance through the outline last night or I would have been in big trouble.

Overall, I think it went okay. I didn't get too freaked out and I'm fairly certain I passed. I didn't blow an entire essay - just an issue here or there. I think I did well enough on the essays to get at least average scores. I couldn't believe how many people turned in blank sheets of paper!

It seems so silly now that I let myself get so worked up over the test. I knew I worked really hard, but I was so afraid that they would test on all of the areas that I had forgotten or couldn't "get." I was a little silly, I think. Easy to say now, after the fact! :)

So that's my experience here in Ohio. How did it go for the rest of you?

[Aimee]

Louisiana has been horrendous so far. MUCH harder than any of the prior years' tests. It's been incredibly anomalous and people are freaked out. Rather than testing on important stuff, they've decided to pick out the tiniest of minutia and test upon it. Forget mortgages, let's talk about natural obligations (civil code stuff particular to Louisiana, that's pretty academic and doesn't really arise IRL) Oh and the torts question - the examiner totally phoned it in. 65% was a 10 line hypo about an injury and the remaining 35% was a question about conflicts of law, when it could possibly have not even been a torts question (auto accident, but the issue was about a UM carrier from Georgia) It's been awful and I've had a hard time focusing today for my final 3 subjects.

I've got one more day left and I'm already planning on taking the thing again in February.

Hopefully everyone else is doing better.

[lawyergirl25]

Oh Aimee, I hate hearing that! I'm sure that if you're worried about the exam, though, there are plenty of other people who are much worse off. Just review your notes one last time, and make sure you get a good night's rest for tomorrow. I know you probably hate hearing it by now (I do!), but I'm sure you will be fine. You've worked so hard!

[lawyergirl25]

How did it go on Friday, Aimee? I was thinking of you.

[keska]

Aimee

I felt the same way about CA. Of the 6 subject essays, only 1 was really straightforward and fit the typical mold, IMO. They actually had an entire remedies essay (very rare) and did a contracts/property crossover twice, though one was mostly remedies! They also tested prof responsibility twice. Let's see, we had: community property, property/contracts, corporations/professional responsibility, evidence, remedies/contracts, professional responsibility.

Even the subjects that are normally fairly easy were not, IMO. They tested on some really little things that we hadn't been taught. I felt horrible about it and really think I'll be taking it again in February too (sigh). The thought of going through three days in a row like that again actually makes me cry.

[Sherb]

Wanted to say that DH passed the AL bar - just got results today!

[lawyergirl25]

CONGRATS to your DH! That's great. :)

Another 4 weeks of waiting on OH results here.

[Aimee]

Congrats to your husband! Today was supposed to be "the day" for me but it's been pushed back because of Katrina. They haven't exactly been straightforward about the status of the exams that were in the Supreme Court building - they have said that there was "no confirmation" that exams were "irretreivably lost" but that there's a good chance some of them are "in a place where they cannot be retrieved"

In short, nobody knows what's exactly going to happen. There's the "everyone will pass" rumors and the "everyone will have to retake it" rumors. They're saying they're going to release the results on Oct 14, but I have a feeling that it might be later than that.

[fsb2005]

Just wanted to say that NY results came out today and I passed!! Yahoooooooooo! What a relief...

[RobynScott]

Congrats FSB - now get out and celebrate!

[Aimee]

Congrats! Go celebrate! :D

[lawyergirl25]

Congrats!

keska, good luck tomorrow.

[keska]

I passed!! And then I cried my eyes out. I seriously thought I had failed the exam. I still can't believe I passed. I made DH print out the page so I can read over and over again.

[granada]

Congratulations, keska!! :D

[Sherb]

Woohoo! Way to go FSB and keska!

[Aimee]

Congrats Keska!! My mom (who waited with me to get the results) wanted me to print out the page for her fridge. I just kept reading the page over and over to make sure it was real.

Bellefior good luck to your hubby. Everyone's studying experience is different, but when I was studying, I was just not a happy camper in general. My DH took over most of the cooking, cleaning and shopping. Try to be understanding if you want to do something fun with him and he just can't relax. We tried to have date nights on Friday or Saturday nights, just to break the monotony, but I had a hard time letting my brain relax sometimes.

My DH's support was crucial in getting me through the bar. He was just there as a friend and was very understanding that I was scared, anxious, miserable, etc. He never was resentful of having to do so much, and that was a big relief for me.

When I passed, we were saying thank God that I didn't have to take it again - and that he didn't have to live through it again!

[keska]

Thank you!

Bellefior If not for the support of my DH, I don't think I would have made it through the exam. The first day, he brought me lunch and I felt it was going so badly, I wanted to quit. I think if he hadn't been there to talk me through it, I might not have finished the exam.

[lawyergirl25]

Congrats!

[lawyergirl25]

Just a little vent:

I have to the stupid federal bar exam! Apparently here in Ohio you can't just pay your fees to get into the district court, you have to take an exam covering the Fed Rules of Evidence, the FRCPs, the local rules, and jurisdiction and venue. I pulled out my outlines this weekend and wanted to scream.

It's a little thing in the grand scheme, and the test won't be bad (50 multiple choice/true-false, and you only need something like 40% to pass), but it's annoying nonetheless.

/vent

[Aimee]

Just a little vent:

I have to the stupid federal bar exam! Apparently here in Ohio you can't just pay your fees to get into the district court, you have to take an exam covering the Fed Rules of Evidence, the FRCPs, the local rules, and jurisdiction and venue. I pulled out my outlines this weekend and wanted to scream.



They didn't test that on your main bar exam? We had a section on Louisiana Procedure and a section on Federal Procedure. The LA section was super-easy because it was short questions that are repeated over and over and over. The Federal section wasn't too bad, but it was the last test on the last day, so it was a stamina thing.

[Lauren]

Congrats to all who passed! I know it's a huge relief! :D

[lawyergirl25]

They didn't test that on your main bar exam? We had a section on Louisiana Procedure and a section on Federal Procedure. The LA section was super-easy because it was short questions that are repeated over and over and over. The Federal section wasn't too bad, but it was the last test on the last day, so it was a stamina thing.
Oh, they tested the federal law on the Ohio bar, which is why it's annoying to have to do it again. I don't quite understand why they do it - maybe because out-of-state applicants may not have been tested on the federal rules?

To get admitted to the other federal district in Ohio, I had to attend a federal practice seminar, which consisted of highlights of the local rules, a lecture on the duties of a magistrate judge, and an electronic filing tutorial. *That* information was useful, so I can understand why they had us attend the seminar, but I'm starting to feel like they're making us jump through hoops just for the sake of being difficult.

At least I only have to do this once. And it's better than taking the state bar again. :)

[keska]

That's interesting. I didn't know there was such a thing as a federal bar exam. That would be annoying. I can see how courts get fed up with people who don't know what they're doing, but it really is exhausting to have to jump through so many hoops to practice.